Decorticator.



PATENTED MAY 26, 1908 W. L. WEBER.

DBGURTICATOR.

APPLIGATION FILED MAY 1s, 1907.

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Y section.

UNITED STATES PATENT oEEroE.

WILLIAM L. WEBER, Ol" BOSTON, MAq-XCHSETTS, SSIGNOR 'lO BELDIEYG ct FRNKLIN MACHINE (10., Ol NEW YOlh, N. Y., A CORPORATION Ol" NEW YORK.

DECORTICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2s, 190s.

Application filed Mey 16, 1907. Serial No. 373,986.

To all @1J/10m it ymay concern:

Be it known that I, Willian L. YEBER, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State ot' h'fassachusctts, have invented. certain new and useful Improvements in i)ecorticators, of which the following is a specitieation.

This invention relates to deeortieators.

More particularly, it relates to apparatus for removing the skin from potatoes and other vegetables.

It is related in subject matter to my copending application, Serial Number 373,987.

The particular purpose of the invention is to provide apparatus suitable for household use; and to this end the object is to make apparatus of inexpensive cmistrm-.tion and of simplicity and speed in operation. .l believe that in all of these respects the apparatus herein described is an improvement over other apparatus which has been previously used; and this is accomplished by roviding a receptacle, preferably cylindrica in form with its axis upright, having` walls' of stabbed material, or other suitable decortieator, and having a rotating helical bottom of like material.

One embodiment of the invention, to which, however, the invention is not limited, is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure l represents the apparatus in side elevation, the receptacle being partly broken away or sectioned unon the medial vertical plane,'exposing the helical bottom which is shown complete, not sectioned. Fig. 2 represents a. portion of the stabbed material which forms the deeortioating surface, in Fig. 3 represents diagranunatically another embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings: 10 represents a cylindrical receptacle, in which a cylindrical lining 11 is set. This lining is preferably formed of stabbed material, as represented in llig. 2, where is seen a sheet of metal which has been stabbed or punched by ,an instru- :ment which pierces it Jfrom one side, bending up sha-rp corners 12 at each hole vwhere the instrument has pierged it. This interior cylindrical easing 11 is preferably removable for purposes of cleaning and drying after use. as 1s indicated by the screw 13 passing through the. receptacle wall near the top for 'fastening the casing in place.

Above the bottom 14 ofthe'l'ece )taele is a false bottom 15, also preferably .formed of stabbed material, and arranged in the form of a helix. As represented in F 1 and 3 of the drawing, this starts at the line 16 next the bottom of the receptacle and winds about the axis through one complete convolution to the line 17, rising in so doing through a height which may be filled by a blank wall 1S, thus supporting the two ends 16 and 1T rigidly in their proper relations, maintaining the helix in its desired form.

At the axis of the helix is a shaft 19 to which the helix is attached and by which it is rotatable, the shaft being liournaled in thereceptacyle bottom at 20 and also journaied at 2l in a strap 22 or other cover crossing the top of the receptacle. 'lhis strap carries journals -23 for a driving shaft 24. on which is a crank 25 or other suitable means to re volvo the shaft 2l, and a beveled gear 126 adapted to engage a gear 27 on shaft 1x9.- vRotation of the crank causes the. shaft 19- and helix 1.5 to rotate with respect to the receptacle l() and its decorticatiug casing l1.

lnpperation, a small amount oli water is placed in the receplzn'le, and a quantity of potatoes or other vegetables. tranl; .25 is then rotated in such manner as to cause rotation of the helical bottom l5, with the upper surface of the helix in advance of the under surface. 'hen a proper speed of rotation has been reached, an interaction of the various parts and of the contents results. by which the water and potatoes are piled up in a form which may be roughly des ribet't as constituting a hollow cylindrical mass rubbing close against the cylindrical decorticating surface. Individual potatoes successively rise in this mass to the. top, scraping along the dicorticating surface in so doing, and fall over into the hollow interior of this moving mass, where they encounter the moving decorticating surface of the helix. The pitch of this surface, aided probably by the elasticity of the potato and ils rebound from the surface following its fall, and the sharp points of the surfaee upon which it impinges on its fall, and a tangential or centrifugal mol ion which is imparted to the. potato upon its contact with this helical decorticating surface, cause the potato to return toward the cylindrical wall where it enters the under portion of the above described mass and gradually rises through it to the top` being forced up by addition of other water and potatoes beneath it, until it rolls over in wardly again to repeat the course. In going through this process the individual potato 1s constantly rotated in varying directions, and

is pushed and scrapedgenti)v along; the de- Particular attention,

eorticating surfaces. is called to the fact that the potatoes do not rest upon the bottom, but that after brief Contact therewith theyT begin upon a course which takes them in a rising' path away therefrom. ihis prevents the bottom from grinding. an undue amount of material from the potatoes which happen to lie lowest; and the rising and falling action also prevents the potatoes from being ground too steadily a einst the inclosing cylindrical surface. T e result is aspeedy and uniform deeortieating action upon each individual potato or other vegetable in the apparatus. After the potatoes are removed the apparatus may be thoroughly cleaned by`rotating the helical bottom, with water, which causes the water to rise high in rapid motion along the cylindrical walls; and the apparatus may then be dried 'conveniently by removing the top strap 22, and its attached axle., handle and helix, and by removing the cylindrical decortieating lining 11.

Another form which has somo advantages is represented in Fig. 3, in which the axial shaft is marked 1Q and very short, terminating in a fork which has supporting,r rods 29 at-dia'metricaliy opposite points ofthe helix. gives a 'free and Clear working space above the helix, and eliminates the axial shaft from the vicinity where the potatoes are placed.. It is of advantage in the smaller size of the apparatus, because 1treduces the, 'danger of combination of potatoes becoming accidentally or temporarily wedged between 4the central shaft and between the eating material and formed helically about a4 `vertical axls and rotatable thereon.

A receptacle, havingr an interior surface of decoticating material, in combination with a rotatable helical bottom in the receptarlo, a shaft e.\'tr,=ndin`gl upward in the axial line, there being on the upper part of the rereptacle means to sup l)ort the moving parts, and means to rotate t em.

- 4. A receptacle, having' an interior surface of decorticating material, in combination with a rotatable helical bottom in the recep-l tacle, a shaft in the axial line above the bottom, a fork connecting the shaft with the edges of theI helix, and means to supportthe shaft at the top of the receptacle.

In testimony whereof I hereto allix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM L. WEBER. W itnesses:

ELLIOTT B. CHURCH, Eviann'r'r E. KENT. 

